The Johnny Mercer Foundation (JMF) and the American Music Theatre Project (AMTP) at Northwestern University will once again seek out the nation’s most talented young songwriters and writing teams for the 14th annual Johnny Mercer Foundation Songwriters Project. The free, weeklong songwriting workshop will take place June 23 to 29, 2019 on Northwestern’s Evanston campus.

The program accepts applications through March 1 from aspiring songwriters, between the ages of 18 and 30 working in any popular music style. The application form, guidelines and full details will be available online beginning Jan. 7, 2019 at the Project’s website.

Master teachers Stephen Bray, Craig Carnelia and Andrew Lippa return to lead the project this summer, which culminates with the Songwriters in Concert event June 29, a performance showcase celebrating Johnny Mercer’s life and legacy featuring the talents of program participants and the master teachers.

The program is free-of-charge to selected songwriters through the generosity of the Johnny Mercer Foundation. Participants are housed on Northwestern’s Evanston campus and receive a stipend for travel expenses and meals.

Last year, a record-setting 170 applicants applied for the 12 spots in the prestigious program, which has been a catalyst to the careers of many artists. Among the program alumni are Tony, Oscar and Golden Globe Award winners Benj Pasek and Justin Paul; Fred Ebb Award winners Sam Willmott and Shaina Taub; Jonathan Larson Award winner Nikko Benson; and Latin Grammy Award winners Obed Bermudez and singer/actress Jennifer Peña.